Mateo Lawman presents HeliTracker for helicopter and seaplane noise
A high school sophomore built a Raspberry Pi system to log helicopter noise and identify aircraft; he shared data with Congressman Latimer and is adapting it for seaplanes near Waterside Plaza.
Our next panel is in person.
First, Mateo Lallement, Janet Handel, Waterside Tenants Association President,
Miriam Applebaum, Waterside Plaza resident, Diane Park from Waterside Tenants Association, and Tyler Taba, Waterfront Alliance.
I want to begin with
Mateo, if you're ready to start, or Janet, whoever's ready to testify.
Mateo, whenever you're ready to begin.
Sorry to interrupt, but can you make sure your microphone is on?
Good morning, and thank you for the chance to speak today.
My name is Mateo Lawman.
I'm a high school sophomore from Westchester, and I'm here at the invitation of Janet Handel, president of Waterside Tenants Association.
Where I live, helicopters fly over my house as many as 20 times a day, sometimes early in the morning or late at night.
They fly low enough that our windows shake.
Neighbors who are older can't sleep.
People who work from home can't take calls.
And students like me can't focus on homework.
People complain to their elected officials for years, but complaints are easy to dismiss without numbers behind them.
So I built a system to collect those numbers.
It's called HeliTracker.
This is a microphone connected to a small, inexpensive computer called the Raspberry Pi.
It listens for the sound of a helicopter.
When it hears one, it checks Flight Radar 24 to identify the aircraft.
who it's registered to, where it took off from, its altitude, its speed, and its direction.
It also records how loud it was.
Every flight is logged, so over weeks and months, you can see patterns in which operators are the repeat offenders.
That data has already been useful.
I shared it with Congressman George Latimer, and his office raised the issue with the FAA.
Ms.
Handel reached out because Waterside Plaza has the same problem with seaplanes and helicopters along the East River.
I'm now adapting the system to recognize seaplanes
and we're looking at installing sensors near Waterside so residents there can have the same kind of record.
I'm hopeful that with the data we collect, we'll be able to find a solution with the help of the City Council.
Thank you.